Ignoramus Enlightened
by ElfIcarii
Summary: A magical girl in a family of muggles finds out she's a witch...and meets Harry Potter completely unaware of who he is! Will she give him the cold shoulder when she finds out who he is?
1. Prologue

A/N: I don't have the books handy, so forgive me and tell me if I make mistakes...Other than that, read and enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything recognizable from the books, I DO own all my characters etc. Any names etc. that coincide with the real world are completely coincidental; this is NOT a marie sue, as all characters are completely and totally imaginary.  
  
PROLOGUE  
  
Seven year old Sara Marie Frie scowled at her bowl of cereal. "But Mum," she complained, "Philip had a brownie for breakfast, why can't I?"   
  
Sara's mother scowled down at her. "Because your brother Philip is an adult and can pay his own dental bills. Now eat your cereal before it gets soggy."  
  
Sara scowled back at her mother and quickly ate the cereal, trying not to pay attention to the taste. She then grabbed a handful of crackers from the jar at the center of the table and raced out the door to play in the forest behingd her house. She had a secret hiding place, up in a tree by the stream, where she could munch her crackers and do whatever. She especially liked to pretend that she was a pirate, or a witch, Or SOMETHING exciting to escape from her dreary life.  
  
Sara ran across the strip of grass that seperated the house from the woods, her light brown hair flowing out behind her. Her seagreen eyes were wide with excitement and anticipation of the game of pretend ahead. As Sara laughed at some obscure thought, a flock of birds erupted from a near by bush. It seemed like this was going to be a perfect day.  
  
Suddenly, Sara tripped over a rock and was thrown flying through the air with her own inertia. Seeing a tree loom in front of her, she screamed. . .  
  
And landed softly in the grass. Confused, Sara looked behind her, and realized she'd passed right through the tree, as if she were a ghost.  
  
"Wha?...."  
  
A/N: Please review! 


	2. A Big Surprise

A/N:Here's the first chapter!  
  
I have now fixed the misspelling of Professor McGonagall's name. I don't know whether anyone but my brother noticed it, but I found our copies of the books, checked and fixed it. I am now working on the next chapter...Hopefully it'll be up soon!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizably from Harry Potter, I'm only using the books as a starting place to launch my own creations. I may drift from the actual story in places, especially in the later books...Please don't kill me!  
  
Chapter One: A Big Surprise  
  
4 YEARS LATER  
  
"I still can't believe you said that, Coren!" Sara said, laughing. "Did you see Mr. Raelin's face?"  
  
Coren, a dark haired girl of eleven and one of Sara's best friends, shook her head. "I couldn't help it. He never lets up on me in class, and it's just because I read so much. He just won't admit that I know the answers anyway."  
  
The other girl in the room spoke up. "But still, I don't really think you should have called him an ignorant dweeb. He is our teacher, after all. What does ignorant mean, anyway?"  
  
Coren smiled. Kaila, while she always followed the rules to both letter and spirit, didn't do any extra studying...and could never understand how Coren knew so many big words. "To be ignorant means to not know much about something." Coren grinned and teased, "I'd simply say lack of knowledge, except you probably don't even know what that means!"   
  
Kaila stuck out her tongue at Coren and brushed a strand of her bright red hair behind her ear. With her wide-framed glasses and short hair, a stranger might assume that she was the nerd of the group instead of Coren. Sara laughed and grinned. Her two best friends never stopped arguing, even if it was goodnatured.  
  
"Besides, that was two months ago, why are we talking about it now?" Coren asked.  
  
"Because We're BORED!" Sara and Kaila replied in unison. There was a tapping on the door. "Who is it?" Sara called. "It's me, your mother Sara! How many times do I have to tell you not to lock this door? What if the house caught fire?" came the muffled reply. Sara scurried to unlock the door.  
  
"Thank you," Mrs. Frie said as she came into the room. "Sara, when I got the mail today I found a rather odd letter addressed to you. Do you have any idea what it's about?"   
  
Sara's mother handed her an odd, parchment-like envelope addressed in green ink. There was no return address. The envelope was indeed addressed to her:  
  
Sara Marie Frie  
  
Secondary Bedroom, First Floor, Third House,  
  
Polygon Street, London  
  
Sara stared at the envelope. A strange feeling came over her, and, young as she was, she knew that if she opened it her life would be changed forever, for better or worse.  
  
"Come on! Open it!" Kaila said. Sara shook herself and broke the oldfashioned green wax seal on the front of the envelope. She removed the single piece of parchment inside, and began to read aloud.  
  
"Dear Sara Frie,  
  
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed are a list of items needed for the school year and your ticket for the Hogwarts Express. On August 29th a member of the Ministry of Magic will arrive at your home to bring you and/or your parents/gaurdians to Diagon Alley to get supplies, as you have nonmagical parents.  
  
Sincerely,   
  
Minerva McGonagall"  
  
Silence pervaded the room. Noone seemed to want to say anything. Sara thought furiously. Was this a prank, or was it real? Was it possible she really was a witch or something? The incident with the tree when she was seven kept coming to mind, an event of which she had never told a soul. If she was a witch, it would certainly help explain why she hadn't hit the tree. On the other hand, what else would it mean? Would she never be allowed to talk to nonmagic people again? Deciding that she would find the answers to her questions on August 29th, Sara let the questions drop from her mind.  
  
"Well. That was certainly interesting," Mrs. Frie said. She looked more than a bit stunned. Kaila snatched the letter from Sara's hand, pushed her glasses up her nose, and began examining it carefully.   
  
"Is there anything else in the envelope?" Coren asked.  
  
Sara started to shake her head, and stopped. The envelope suddenly felt thicker. Opening it, she removed what was apparently a train ticket and a folded piece of paper, evidently the list of items. Sara looked up slowly and said, "These weren't there before..."  
  
Kaila looked up. Everyone in the room stared at Sara in disbelief.  
  
"So it's real....."  
  
A/N: Thanks to Chaos Lightning for the review! More is coming, I hope people like it.  
  
Please review!!! 


	3. Trouble in Diagon Alley

A/N: Sorry! I've been juggling classes and poetry and stories and not having time for any of them. Worse, College starts on Monday....Anyway, Here's chapter two!  
  
*word* means thoughts  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizably from Harry Potter.  
  
Chapter 2: Trouble at Diagon Alley  
  
Sara waited nervously. This was the day that the official was supposed to come to bring her to Diagon Alley, but the letter hadn't said at what time they'd arrive. Until they did, Sara and her parents had no confirmation about whether all this was real....At this point, it was easy to dismiss what had happenned with the envelope as simply not noticing the ticket and list. *I wish this was done and over with...*  
  
"Stop fidgeting, Sara!" Sara's mother, Mrs. Frie, was busily cleaning the kitchen. "Why don't you come over here and dry the dishes? Something to do should help." Sara sighed and went over to help her mother. *Doing the dishes might work for Mum, but it doesn't with me. Doing something with my hands won't prevent me from thinking.* Sara thought as she dried a plate.  
  
DING-DONG!!!  
  
Sara practically dropped the plate she was holding. As her mother went to answer the door, she shoved it on it's stack and swung shut the cupboard door. She checked to make sure her pocket money was in her pocket, and ran into the foyer. As she skidded in, Sara began to blush. This was not the impression she had intended to make. She had wanted to seem a young lady with manners, perfectly behaved and studious - not a hyper, unruly eleven year old girl who'd never make it in a special school!  
  
The young man standing next to her mother looked Sara up and down as she tried to stop blushing, inspecting him at the same time. This man looked rather ordinary, not at all what she had expected - He was wearing a blue sweater and jeans, not a dark blue robe and pointy hat with silver moons and stars all over them, like Merlin wore in the tales of King Arthur.  
  
"You must be Sara. I'm Daren, the supposed 'official' that was sent to bring you and your mother to Diagon Alley." The young man grinned. "What are you waiting for? Let's go!"  
  
As Daren turned to her mother and said "After you, Mrs. Frie," Sara shook herself out of the more-than-a-little-bit-shocked feeling she was experiencing. Obviously, she was in for a lot of surprises. Checking to make sure the letter, list, and ticket were still in her pocket with her money, Sara followed her mother and Daren to the green car parked in the driveway. She slid into the back seat as her mother got in the front passenger side and Daren got in the driver's seat. Daren started the car and they backed out of the driveway.   
  
"So, where is this Diagon Alley?" Sara's mother asked.  
  
"Oh, it's in London. It's only about a half hour's drive from here."  
  
They rode on in silence for a few minutes. Sara screwed up her courage and asked a question that had been bugging her since she first met Daren.  
  
"What did you mean, when you said you were the 'supposed' official? Are you or aren't you?"  
  
Daren laughed. "I was wondering when you were going to ask that. I work for the Ministry, but I don't really feel that the term 'official' really applies to me. But then, I just graduated from Hogwarts a couple months ago."  
  
Upon hearing this, all the questions that had been piling up in Sara's mind since she got the letter seemed to explode out of her mouth. "You went to Hogwarts?! What's it like? You mean it's all REAL?!Are the teachers mean? Is there lots of homework? Are the other students nice? Will I be far behind because I didn't know about magic beforehand? What's it LIKE????"  
  
"Whoa, slow down!" Daren said, still laughing. "You'll find out the answers to your questions in a couple days. And no, you won't be behind. There's lots of Muggle-born kids at Hogwarts."  
  
"Muggle-born?"  
  
"A muggle is our term for someone who has no magic."  
  
"Oh."  
  
The rest of the trip was in silence.  
  
***  
  
They got out of the car at a disreputable looking pub sandwiched between two more ordinary buidings. A sign above the door proclaimed the pub to be the Leaky Cauldron. Mrs. Frie shivered as she got out of the car.  
  
"Are you sure this is the place?"  
  
"Yes." Daren looked at her face and laughed. "The entrance to Diagon Alley is behind the Leaky Cauldron. Come on, I'll show you." As he led them through the pub, with Sara and her mother trailing close behind, he waved to a couple people. "Hi, Tom. I'll make sure to come by later, " He called to the bartender, who smiled and nodded. Soon they were through, and Sara's mother gave a sigh of relief. Sara simply looked about in confusion. She couldn't see any sign of an entrance ANYWHERE...just a couple of old trashcans.  
  
Daren winked and walked up to one of the trashcans. He took a long, thin stick out of one of his pockets and tapped one of the bricks on the wall behind the trashcan with it. *That must be a wand...* Sara thought. *Wow!*  
  
Starting with the brick Daren had tapped, the bricks had begun to rearrange them selves. Soon an archway had opened up before them, leading into a busy street lined with shops and businesses, with ahumongous gold and white building at the end. Sara's mother gasped. Sara herself, younger and better able to take in the sudden existence of magic, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her forward, saying "Come ON, Mum! Look at all these shops!"  
  
Daren smiled and said, "Welcome to Diagon Alley! Slow down Sara, and quit pulling at your poor mother. You don't even know where to go yet. Before you go exploring the shops, we need to go to Gringott's. Those shops won't accept your muggle money. You need to exchange it for galleons, sickles, and knuts."  
  
Mrs. Frie looked worried. "How much will she need?"  
  
Daren looked at Sara. "Wellll...."   
  
The two adults moved farther ahead to discuss money. Sara watched them, frustrated. Why shouldn't SHE know? When her mother dropped back again, all she said was: "You're expensive, you know that?"  
  
A few minutes later they were in Gringotts. Daren told her that the short, ugly humanoids at the counter were goblins and not to call them short, ugly humanoids. Sara giggled. When her mother returned with a pouch filled with coins, she refused to tell Sara how much it was. She felt like snarling at her mother, but resisted.  
  
"What do you need, Sara?" Mrs. Frie asked.  
  
"Ummm...  
  
3 sets black work robes, a black pointed hat, a pair of dragonhide gloves, a black winter cloak with silver fastenings all with name tags. The Standard Books of Spells grade 1, A History of Magic, Magical Theory, A Begginner's Guide to Transfiguration, One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, Magical Drafts and Potions, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self Protection. A wand, a size 2 pewter cauldron, a set of glass or crystal phials, a telescope, and a set of brass scales. It also says that I can bring an owl, cat, or toad. Mum, PLEASE?"  
  
"Please what?" Sara's mother was looking really harried.  
  
"Please may I have a cat or an owl? Plllleeeasssee?"  
  
Her mother sighed. "We'll see."  
  
***  
  
A half hour later, Sara had everything except a wand. No pet as yet, though.  
  
"Where do we go to get the wand?"  
  
"Olivander's." Daren replied.  
  
"I see it! It's right over there! Next to the store with all the animals!"  
  
"If you say one more word about a cat, you won't get one."  
  
"Shutting up."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
They entered Olivander's. Daren smiled and pulled Mrs. Frie back. "Don't worry. Mr. Olivander will do it all...you'll see." Indeed, the next few minutes were a whirl of confusion as Sara tried wand after wand that different work. Finally, she found a wand that shot silver and blue sparks, not to mention the rose petals, when she held it.  
  
"Padouk, slightly whippy, two unicorn hairs and a dragon heartstring. Interesting combination. Six galleons and two sickles, please."  
  
Sara's mother payed, and they left the shop. Just as they stepped out, a large black-and-white calico cat went streaking out of Magical Menagerie, the pet shop next to Olivander's, knocking down chairs and umbrella stands, with a woman wearing a white apron hot on its tail.  
  
"Get back here, you beast! I'm going to kill that man who sold me that unbreakable lock! GET BACK HEEERRRREEEEEE!!!!!!!!!"  
  
The cat ran through the crowd and leapt straight into a startled Sara's arms, where it immediately began to purr. Breathing hard, the lady from the shop came up to them. To Sara's surprise and joy, her mother offered to buy the cat for her.  
  
"Sure, and thanks for taking the beast of my hands. That girl's been through every lock and locking spell we've been able to come up with. That'd be one galleon."  
  
Sara's mother paid, and Daren began to laugh.  
  
"what's so funny?"  
  
"Who'd ever think that one cat could cause so much damage in Diagon Alley?" he replied, gesturing at all the people setting chairs, stands and tables back upright.  
  
"What a great idea!" Sara said.  
  
Daren and Sara's mother stared at her.  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"The name! I'll name the cat Trouble!"  
  
Daren laughed. "That she certainly is."   
  
A/N: For those of you that didn't know, padouk is a type of reddish orange wood. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, it was a bit longer than I expected...Please review! 


	4. The Hogwarts Express

_A/N: Sorry it's been so long, guys! I finally broke free of writer's block.I hope this chapter makes up for it. On the other hand, I discovered an internet resource for HP info recently -the Harry Potter Lexicon. Because of this, I'll be able to get into more detail on spells etc. when it comes to time. Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I am not making any money from this. I do not own Harry Potter or anything recognizably from the series. I do own the characters I made up, such as Daren, Sara, family and (most) friends. _

**Chapter 3: The Hogwarts Express**

On the way home, Sara once again was filled with questions. This time she expected more answers.

"What were those golden marble things? Surely wizards don't play ordinary games like that!"

"Those were Gobstones. They squirt a nasty smelling fluid at the loser, but other than that it really is a lot like marbles."

"And what about that chess set? The pieces were moving! The pictures did, too. Does _everything _move in the wizarding world?"

Daren laughed. "Not everything, but pictures, paintings, wizarding chess pieces, and some statues do."

Sara's mom had a more practical question. "When does she need to be at the school? And where does she need to be to get on the Hogwarts Express?"

Daren glanced at Mrs. Frie and then looked back to the road. "You mean you haven't looked at the ticket yet? Sara needs to be at the King's Cross station at 11 am on September first."

Sara bounced in her seat, causing Trouble to hiss from where she had been lieing on her lap. "Are you going to be taking us there, too?" Simultaneously, Mrs. Frie sighed and Daren laughed. "No, King's Cross is a perfectly ordinary muggle station. I'm sure your mum knows where it is."

Sara's mother nodded. "And Sara, I want you to stop bothering this nice young man. He already told you you'd pick these things up quickly enough at Hogwarts. Oh, Daren, do we need to confirm with the school in anyway? Register Sara or something?"

"Normally, yes. But as you don't have an owl, I'll stop by and tell the headmaster you'll be coming."

"Oh, thank you!"

"It's nothing, I'm glad for the excuse to see the grand ol' castle again."

A few minutes later he dropped Sara and her mother off at her house. Sara waved energetically as he drove off.

Two days later, Sara was frantically packing to leave. Despite the fact her mother had told her to pack the night before, Sara had put it off to discuss the possibilities of magic with her friends Coren and Kaila on the phone, both of whom had promised never to breathe a word about it to anyone else, immediately comprehending the problems if the general public found out.

"Sara, what are you doing down there? I thought I told you to pack last night!" Sara could hear her mother's footsteps on the stairs and hurriedly shoved the last two textbooks into the trunk.

"I just forgot a few things..." Sara trailed off as her mother entered the room.

"Do you expect me to believe that? Well, at least your room's clean. Hurry up, we're leaving in ten minutes. And make sure to keep your robes out, you'll have to change on the train."

Sara ran to put on her shoes and grab the pet carrier for Trouble. She carefully put Trouble in the car, and then ran back in to start lugging her trunk.

"Sara, hurry! You can't miss the train!"

"Can you help me with my trunk? It's too heavy!"

Mrs. Frie hurried over and lifted one end. With a little difficulty, they got it into the backseat of the car. "You packed your toothbrush, right? And toothpaste?"

"Of course!"

"Good." Mrs. Frie got into the driver's seat and began backing out of the driveway. "Wait! My robes!" Mrs. Frie stomped on the brakes as Sara threw herself out of the car and ran inside. She emerged a few seconds later with her robes and jumped back in the car, slamming the door shut and breathing hard.

"Is that everything?"

"Yes!"

"Are you sure?"

"YES!"

"Then off we go like a herd of turtles!" her mother said, and they were off.

Forty five minutes later, they had Sara's things on a cart and were wandering the train station looking for anything remotely resembling a platform labeled 9 3/4, with no success. They were just passing by the barrier between 9 and 10 again when they saw a red headed boy and one with messy black hair run straight at the barrier - and vanish!

"Mum! Hurry! I think that's it!" Sara ran over to the barrier, pushing her cart in front of her. A plump woman with the same red hair as one of the boys was walking towards the barrier. Sara watched carefully as the woman went through - there didn't appear to be any magical preperation needed, but she slowed and waited for her mother anyway.

"What do you mean, Sara? All I see are the two platforms." Sara's mother looked confused.

"I saw three people...they must have been wizards and a witch, like me...go right through the barrier! Platform 9 and 3/4 has GOT to be on the other side!"

"Well, if you're sure..." Sara and her mother ran at the barrier. Sara, for the first time, really deep down believed in magic, so wasn't worried in the slightest. She had to drag her mother the last few feet, though - obviously, Mrs. Frie wasn't as confident in it as she was.

One moment the barrier was there - and then it was gone. Sara and her mother stumbled to a halt, finding themselves in a bustling crowd on a platform that previously had not seemed to exist. A bright red train was visible to one side, and it hooted twice as they watched. "We found it! We really found it!" Sara called, already racing away from her mother towards the train.

"Wait, Sara!" Mrs. Frie called. "Aren't you even going to say goodbye?"

Sara came racing back, leaving the cart behind. "Sorry, of course I will!" She gave her mother a quick hug and smiled. "I'm going to have so much fun! And I'll write you, I promise!" She ran off again, leaving her mother smiling fondly, trying hard to hide her worry for her daughter. Sara had always gone to a public school. How would she adjust to living in a dorm situation?

Sara ran with her cart all the way to the last compartment, figuring it would be the last to fill. She dragged her trunk up, with difficulty, and stashed it under the very back seat. Then she turned and left to find the bathrooms, her robes over one arm. She wanted to get changed quickly, so that she would have plenty of time to explore. Finally finding a bathroom two cars up the train, she ducked inside, locked the door and changed.

On her way back, the train gave one last whistle and started to move. Sara rushed to the nearest window and waved wildly at her mother, causeing a blond boy about her age to sneer and stalk off. When her mum was out of sight, Sara watched for a few more moments and then walked back to her car. She was surprised to find the two boys she'd seen earlier sitting in one of the seats to the front of the car. The two of them had been talking, and the redhead looked startled.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt anything. I'll just go to my seat and read or something..."Sara edged towards the back of the car where she'd stashed her trunk. She had just opened it to get out The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1. She overheard the redhead say "Anyway, there's loads of people from muggle families and they learn quick enough." She laughed and raised her hand. "I'm one. Glad to hear you say that - Daren said the same thing, but I thought he was just trying to cheer me up." They were staring at her again. She swallowed. "Sorry. Again. I'm just nervous."

The boy with black hair shook his head. "It's ok. I'm sorry, I was probably being rude. My name's Harry Potter." He held out his hand and elbowed the redhead, who swallowed and stuck out his hand too. "Ron Weasley." Sara smiled and shook their hands. "I'm Sara Frie." Harry and Ron looked a bit nervous, and Ron definitely looked embarrassed, so she lifted her book and said, "Well, I'll just go study a bit." She edged back to her seat and settled down with the book, nervous herself.

The boys didn't start talking again until after twelve, when a lady came in with a cart covered in various foods that Sara didn't recognize. "Anything off the cart, dears?" the lady asked. Sara promptly started digging through her trunk for the little bag of money her mother had given her for during the school year. Wizard money, of course. Which she had neglected to explain the system of.

Sara heard a thump as one of the boys - Harry - leapt to his feet. She watched, astonished, as he bought some of everything, and completely understood when Ron said, "Hungry, are you?" Herself, Sara only got a couple of the cupcake-sized Cauldron Cakes and a Pumpkin Pasty, after asking the lady for help in discerning which of the coins were which.

As she munched, Sara watched in fascination as the boys exclaimed over and discussed some cards they found in some of the packages. Then Ron ate one of the jelly bean things and looked like he was going to throw up. "See, sprouts!" he said to his friend. Sara shook her head and buried herself in one of her magic books. She strongly suspected she would need every head start she could get.

Actually, it was quite fascinating...and so it was that she didn't realize there was someone else in the car until she heard someone cough. She looked up and saw Harry and Ron glaring at three other boys - one of which was the blond who'd sneered at her earlier.

"So you think my name's funny, do you?" the blond said. "No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."

Sara quietly marked her place and put down her book. It looked like a fight was brewing, and she wanted to be ready to do what was needed...whether it was helping Harry and Ron, or getting help.

The blond turned to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wixarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." he stuck out his hand. Sara stood up, fairly growling. Her cat did growl, from inside the pet carrier. This sounded like the kind of kid who used to pick on her at her old school.

"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," Harry said.

"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," the blond said. "Unless you're a bit politer, you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them either.You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you."

Harry and Ron stood up, and Sara stepped towards the three new boys, who still hadn't noticed her.

"Say that again," Ron said.

"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" the blond sneered.

"Unless you get out right now," Harry replied, and he flashed a quick smile at Sara as she stepped up on the other side of him.

"But we don't feel like leaving, do we boys?" the blond said. "We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some."

One of the other two boys reached towards the packages on Harry and Ron's seat, and all three lunged at him. Before they reached him, though, Ron's rat leapt up and bit the boy's finger. Within seconds, the boy had shaken off the rat and all three had disappeared.

"I don't know who those boys were, but they mean trouble," Sara said. Ron was just about to tell her who they where when a girl with bushy brown hair, again about Sara's age, walked in.

"What HAS been going on?" she asked, looking around. Ron ignored her and picked up his rat, commenting to Harry that it looked like he'd been knocked out. Then he looked closer and added, "No, I don't believe it - he's gone back to sleep."

Still ignoring the new girl, Ron turned to Harry. "You've met Malfoy before?"

"So that's the blond's name?" Sara asked. Both boys nodded.

"He was in the robe shop getting fitted at the same time I was," Harry said. "He acted no different then."

"I've heard of his family," Ron said. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn'y believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side." He finally turned to the girl. "Can we help you with something?"

Sara barely heard the girl's response as she digested this new information. She definitely had some more questions to ask people now. Who was this 'You-Know-Who'? And what was this about a Dark Side? The way Ron had said it, it sounded like it was straight out of Star Wars or something.

She started paying attention just in time to hear the girl say, obviously to Ron, "And you've got dirt on your nose, did you know?" She left, with Ron glaring after her.

Harry and ron simply took off their jackets and pulled on their robes in their place. Sara stared. "Don't you two have a seperate outfit for the first day of school?" she asked. Herself, she'd had to find a bathroom to change in, since she had a nice, dark blouse her mother had gotten her to wear under her robes. The boys stared at her, aghast. "Why?!" Sara sighed and went to get her stuff back together, muttering about the stupidities of boys.

"We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time.Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school seperately," A voice boomed through the train.

All three of them looked at each other, then plunged into the crowd in the corridor. Sara lost track of Harry and Ron for a moment, then caught side of Ron's bright red hair and caught up with them just as they came out onto the platform.

_A/N: Wow! Six pages on word! I hadn't realized I'd typed that much. I realize there was some direct quoting, but at this point I'm trying to stay close to the original storyline, so it's unavoidable. I promise divergence later! Read and review!_


	5. The Sorting

_A/N: Sorry about the enormously long wait, everyone. My life has been awful busy the last few years and writing fell by the wayside. I am attempting to get back into the habit, so you can expect to see more updates from now on – I hope._

_It's been a long time since I wrote anything, much less worked on this story, so please forgive me if the style of my writing has changed too much. If it's too drastic I'll go back and rewrite the previous chapters to match. As always, please, read and enjoy!_

**Chapter 4: The Sorting**

The platform was quite small, and night had fallen. It was distinctly chilly out, but Sara wasn't bothered – she had always liked the cold, anyway. She grinned at Harry and Ron, both of whom looked unaccountably nervous, then turned back to the rest of the platform as she heard a booming voice call out.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?"

There was no mistaking the source of the voice. An enormous man stood among the crowd of students, easily visible over their heads, holding a lantern and beaming at Harry fit to split his face in two. Blinking, Sara leaned towards Harry.

"Who is that? I take it they know you?"

Harry nodded as he answered, and looked a little less nervous than he had coming off the train. "Yeah, that's Hagrid. He's the one who took me to Diagon Alley."

"So you're muggleborn too, like me?"

Harry hesitated. "Well, sort of…."

He didn't get a chance to say more. Hagrid was moving now, and it was difficult to keep their footing among the crowd on the steep, narrow path. There was something about the deep darkness to either side of them that encouraged silence. No-one said a word, though a boy ahead of them sniffed a couple times.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," the deep booming voice called out. Sara could just barely see Hagrid up ahead, yelling over his shoulder. "It's jus' round this bend here."

Seconds later the students in front began ooh'ing and ah'ing. Unable to stand her curiosity any longer, Sara pushed ahead of the boys from her traincar, eager to get her first look.

It was a look worth the wait. The narrow path opened up ahead, quite suddenly, revealing an enormous lake that appeared black beneath the night sky. On the other side of it was a mountain of sorts, and atop that, glittering in the moonlight, was a great castle with all the turrets and towers a little girl could have hoped for. Sara had been building the place up in her mind since Daren had mentioned the word 'castle', but the reality put her imaginings to shame.

"Wow…."

"Let us through!"

The three boys from earlier roughly knocked Sara from the path, then marched on towards the waiting boats. If it had been anyone else, she would've apologized for blocking their way – but something about those three just made her mad. She glared after them as she got back up, brushing the dirt from her robes. "That horrid little…."

"Why I oughta…" Ron had caught up just in time to see the incident, and seemed ready to go after the blonde and his buddies. But they were already in their boat, and Harry pointed out that if they didn't hurry, there wouldn't be a boat left. The three rushed down to shore and practically leapt into one of the two remaining boats. The brown-haired girl from earlier was already in it, which left them full up. The sorry-looking boy who'd been sniffing on the way down looked at them mournfully, but Hagrid waved him over onto his boat. Not that this seemed to reassure him any – the boy looked even more nervous now.

"Everyone in?" Hagrid bellowed. "Right then, FORWARD!"

All the boats moved forward at once, heading across the lake, and Sara was delighted to find one more evidence of magic in the complete lack of ripples they made. The lake was smooth as glass. It only took moments, even so, for her attention to be pulled to the looming castle they were moving toward. Slowly, the castle itself moved out of their sight, as the cliff below swallowed their field of vision. For a moment, Sara was certain they were going to crash right into it, and then…

"Heads down!" Hagrid roared, and as she bent her head Sara tilted it to look upwards a bit. They were passing through a curtain of ivy – she blinked as a leaf caught her upturned eye – and on the other side was a broad low tunnel, quite dark. They soon reached an underground harbor, eerily lit by the flickering lights of the boat lanterns. All the students clambered out onto the rocks and pebbles of the strange shore.

"Oy, boy, is this your toad?" Hagrid held something towards the boy who'd rode with him, and he lit up like a Christmas tree. "Trevor!"

Sara remembered that the sheet had said they could bring a toad, but it still seemed strange to her. Only a boy would want one. She suddenly found herself wondering about Trouble – whether she'd be okay, carried to the dorm room by a complete stranger…

There was a passageway leading up at the back of the harbor, which lead them onto the damp grass before the castle. Sara paused a moment to stare up at it again before following the others up the broad stone steps to stand before an enormous oak door.

"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?" Hagrid looked around at them, then turned and raised his huge fist, with which he pounded on the door three times.

The door opened immediately, revealing a tall, dark-haired witch in emerald-green robes. Her stern face reminded Sara of one of her old teachers, a rules-loving tyrant whom only Kaila had liked. She made a mental note to behave perfectly around this lady, and resolved to make sure to write to her friends about her.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall." Hagrid nodded to her and stood aside. Nodding crisply back at him, she pulled the door the rest of the way open, clearing the way for the first years to enter. The entrance hall was huge – it looked like a decent sized hous would fit in with room to spare! The stone walls were lined with flaming torches that lit the room, except for the ceiling, which was too high to discern. Directly across from them was a magnificent marble staircase that presumably lead to the upper floors.

Not that Professor McGonagall gave them long to look around. As soon as te door was open she started towards a door on one side of the hall, clearly expecting them to follow. And they did. As they crossed the flagged stone floor, they could hear voices beyond another door – Sara wondered why they were going somewhere different from where all the older students seemed to be.

Professor McGonagall opened the door to show a small, empty room. She waved them in and once they had all crowded in, rather cramped together, she moved across the room to another door and turned to face them.

"Welcome to Hagwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room."

Sara blinked in confusion. A banquet sounded great, she'd never been to a banquet before, but she'd never heard anything about these…houses. She hoped she wound up in the same house as Ron and Harry, if only because they were the only students she had met that she liked, so far. She made sure to pay attention as McGonagall continued.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours."

Professor McGonagall surveyed them all silently for a moment. "The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Her eyes traveled the room one more time, seeming to pause here and there as she spotted things amiss.

"I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly." Turning around in a swirl of robes, she left the room.

Sara looked around, trying to spot Ron and Harry, with no luck. So she stood there and started trying to decide which house she'd like. All she had to go on were the names, but…Ravenclaw and Slytherin sounded faintly ominous, like some villain's name in a book. Hufflepuff frankly sounded rather silly. That left Gryffindor….

Her thoughts were interrupted as several of the students ahead of her screamed. Sara couldn't help but jump a bit as she whirled around to find the cause. Not that it took much searching – what seemed like a whole parade of ghosts had just come through the back wall. They were a shimmery white, rather like pearls, and didn't seem to notice them at all. In fact, they seemed to be arguing. Endlessly curious, Sara strained to listen.

"Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance – "

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost – I say, what are you all doing here?"

The ghost that was talking drifted to a stop and stared at the first years. He definitely looked to be from another era – he was wearing a ruff and tights.

Nobody answered him. They were all too busy staring.

"New students!" The first ghost's conversation partner beamed around at them. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"

Sara nodded along with a few others.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the jolly-seeming ghost. "My old house, you know."

"Move along now! The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." Sara turned around to see that Professor McGonagall had returned. By the time she glance back towards the ghosts, the last one was drifting back through the wall.

"Now, form a line, and follow me."

As Sara hurried to obey, she found herself behind Harry and Ron once more. She grinned at them, and they smiled weakly back at her. They almost looked sick, and she wondered why. Was there more to this ceremony than she knew? Ron, at least, had seemed to know something about the wizarding world, and if he was this worried…Sara swallowed, suddenly feeling a little sick herself.

The line of students followed Professor McGonagall into the Great Hall, and suddenly Sara found she had quite enough to distract her from her worries. Magic was evinced in every aspect of the Hall, from the thousands of floating candles to the ceiling that mimicked the night sky, right down to a cloud drifting across the stars. The only thing that told her that it wasn't open to the sky was the fact that the room was quite warm – it had to be closed off from the chill air outside.

After a few moments Sara realized everyone was staring at the front of the Hall. She turned to look, but saw only an old, battered wizard's hat sitting on a stool. For a few seconds everything was silent, and Sara was getting quite confused, when a rip opened up like a mouth and the hat began to sing.

"_Oh, you may not thing that I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_If you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folk use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

Everyone in the Hall started clapping, and Sara followed suit, practically jumping up and down. A telepathic hat! _Awesome!_ The Gryffindors sounded like knights with the talk of chivalry, and Ravenclaw's verse had brought to mind the old tales of Merlin in the King Arthur legends. She knew she'd never fit in Hufflepuff – patience was never one of her traits – and Slytherin sounded as ominous as the name. But for the life of her Sara couldn't decide which of the other two she'd like more. She was glad she didn't have to choose herself.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." The professor looked at them for a moment to be sure they understood, then called:

"Abbot, Hannah!"

A blonde girl with braids stumbled out of the line to the chair, where she put on the hat and sat down. There was a brief moment of silence, then the rip in the hat opened again.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The table on the right cheered and Hannah went to join them. Sara saw the jolly ghost from earlier wave at the girl.

Sara watched eagerly as the hat sorted the students whose last name came before hers alphabetically. Susan Bones went to Hufflepuff as well, then Terry Boot and Mandy Brocklehurst went to Ravenclaw, which was apparently on the left. Lavender Brown went to Gryffindor – Sara noted that was the far left – and Millicent Bulstrode went to Slytherin. Justin Finch-Fletchley went to Hufflepuff, and Sara was practically bouncing on her toes. She had to be next, or the one after….

"Frie, Sara!"

Sara managed, just barely, to control herself to a walk – but once she reached the stool she practically snatched the hat to her head before sitting down.

Everything was pitch black. The hat came over her eyes, and despite the rips and tears, not the slightest glimmer of light came through. It was quiet, too – the hat seemed to mute the noise of the Hall. Sara jumped as a small voice spoke in her ear.

"Hm. Jumpy, aren't you? Not scared though, not at all…But bravery is not the same as a lack of fear, you know. And you are eager to learn more about magic, yes, but you aren't really studious, are you? Not normally…"

An image of a knight in shining armor popped into Sara's mind unbidden, and after it, though smaller, her image of Merlin – an old man, hat and robes covered in stars, hands raised to cast a spell. The knight shone, catching her minds eye again before she tried squashing the images down.

"I see, I see. So that's how it is. It will have to be…"

The hats next word nearly deafened her as it was shouted out to the whole Hall.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

_A/N: I hope you enjoyed that chapter, please review! Remember, feedback encourages more writing – why write something if no-one's going to read it, after all? I'll see you next chapter, which hopefully won't be too long from now!_


	6. Welcome Home

**A/N: It seems to me I'm always apologizing for the wait...but here's another chapter, a year and a half after the last one. Gomen...I really will update more frequently if I get reviews, though. Reviews make me feel like this story is actually worth posting, instead of just being practice.**

**Also, if anyone's interested - I could use a beta for this story. I've discovered to my annoyance that, no matter how good I am at spotting errors in other stories, in my own they always seem to escape my eyes...**

**As always, read and enjoy! And given that this is being written on Christmas Eve, I'll throw in a very merry Christmas to all my readers as well.**

_DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters from the original books, nor am I making any money off this story._

**Chapter 5: Welcome Home**

Sara took the hat off with a grin that practically split her face, leapt off the chair, and ran for the Gryffindor table - only to have to run back when she realized she'd never actually put the hat back down. She walked more meekly back to the left-most table after placing the tattered thing back on the stool, cheeks flaming, trying to ignore the titters from the other tables. Sitting in the first free space, Sara managed to suppress her embarassment in time to see 'Granger, Hermione' get sorted into Gryffindor as well. After a moment, she recognized her as the scoldy-sounding girl who'd poked her head in their car on the train.

When the frog-boy, Neville, tripped on his way to the stool, Sara couldn't quite suppress a sigh of relief. Maybe no-one would remember her own mess-up now. Her mother had always told her first impressions were important, and the last thing she wanted was to start out at a new school with everyone thinking she was some kind of ditz.

Now that she was safely Sorted, Sara stopped paying as much attention to the other first years. She kept an ear out for Harry and Ron's names to be called, of course, but of more immediate importance was her new housemates. As her bright eyes scanned the table, she noticed they had a higher than usual number of redheads - and remembering that brat Malfoy's comment on the train, she wondered if any of them were related to Ron. Her musings were interrupted as 'Potter, Harry' was called.

Harry seemed to spend forever sitting on that stool. She didn't think it had taken her that long - but then, she'd been involved when it was her turn, and now she was just stuck here watching. Eventually, the hat placed him in Gryffindor, and she cheered with the rest as he came over to join her. A ghost - how had she not noticed she was practically right across from a ghost?! - patted Harry on the arm, and she saw him shiver. Squashing the impulse lean forward and stick her hand in the ghost (which she figured would probably be quite rude), Sara grinned at him.

"You're Gryffindor too! Do you think Ron will be?"

"He mentioned that his brothers are, so probably..."

A tall, dark boy sat down across from Sara. She was about to ask his name when she caught sight of Ron's face, one of only two still in line. Her eyes went wide.

"Is he actually _green_? I've never seen anyone turn that color. I thought it was just something people said."

Harry blinked. "Yeah, he is, isn't he?"

Sara grinned. "If we can get him to do that for Halloween he won't even need a costume! He'd be all set to be a zombie. I suppose he'd be feeling pretty miserable though, and that'd ruin the point..."

Harry gave her an odd look, then they both looked back towards the hat as the girl sitting there sprang up and Ron's name was called. It took only a second for the hat to declare him a Gryffindor as well, and moments later he was seated at Harry's other side being congratulated by a much older redhead. The last boy was Sorted - Slytherin, Sara noted absently - and she just had time to greet Ron before the old man seated at the center of the head table got to his feet, and the entire hall fell silent.

"Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"

Sara stared for a moment, then stifled a giggle as the man sat back down, joining in enthusiastically when the applause started. "He's awesome! Who is he? One of our teachers?"

The older redhead accross from Ron, who'd just offered Harry potatoes, was the one who replied. "Albus Dumbledore. He's our headmaster, among other honors."

"I suppose that makes sense. Though I'd figured the headmaster would be a sour old man known for strict discipline. Dumbledore reminds me more of my grandfather."

"Really? He must be a great man. My name's Percy Weasley, by the way." The redhead moved as if to offer his hand, then seemed to realize that he'd have to drag his sleeve through gravy to do so, and sat back down with a flush.

"Sara Frie," she offered back with a grin. "And so my mum always said, though they both refuse to tell me why."

With that, Sara filled her plate with roast beef and potatoes. She then mashed the potatoes to a pulp with an expression of great concentration before begnning to eat with a single-minded intensity that left her completely oblivious to the world around her until she was done. At which point, content, she heaved a sigh, leaned back, and jumped about upon finally noticing the ghost seated across from Harry. The ghost laughed softly.

"Allow me to introduce myself. Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, at your service, young lady. I am the resident ghost of Gryffindor tower."

Startlement became curiosity as the ghost spoke. "I'm Sara Frie...How did you become a ghost?"

"Why, the same as anyone, I suppose. I died."

Sir Nicholas was spared more questions as the remains of dinner disappeared and desserts materialized in their place. Like any eleven year old, Sara's attention was immediately snared by the appearance of so many sweets...but she was so full she wasn't sure she could eat any of it. Finally she scooped herself some cherry ice cream, figuring that since ice cream melted, it would be more like drinking than eating where her stomach was concerned. As she ate, more slowly this time, she listened to her tablemates discuss their families, mentally tagging names to faces for later.

"I'm half-and-half," said a sandy-haired boy. Sara thought his name was Seamus. "Me dad's a muggle. Mom didn't tell him she was a witch 'till after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."

Laughter filled their end of the table.

"What about you, Neville?" asked Ron.

Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville, "but the family thought I was all-muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me - he pushed me off the end of Blackpool Pier once, I nearly drowned - but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced - all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen there faces when I got in here - they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad."

"How about you, Sara?" Seamus asked.

"As far as I know, neither of my parents are magic." Sara thought for a moment. "Though I don't see my dad much, so I suppose he could be and I just never heard. Would explain why my mum accepted the letter so readily."

"Why don't you - "

"OUCH!" Ron's question was interrupted as Harry clapped a hand to his forehead.

"What's wrong?"

"What is it?"

"Are you ok?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm ok. It was nothing..."

Before they could ask him anything more, the desserts disappeared and the hall fell silent once more as Dumbledore got to his feet.

"Ahem - just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.

First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well.

I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.

Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.

And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death. And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!"

Dumbledore raised his wand and gave it a little flick, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high in the air to form the words of the song.

"Everyone pick their favorite tune, and off we go!"

After a moment's thought, Sara picked 'The Song that Never Ends', and joined in ludly and enthusiastically, stubling occasionally where the words and the tune refused to match up.

"_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, hoggy warty Hogwarts,_

_ Teach us something please,_

_ Whether we be old and bald_

_ Or young with scabby knees,_

_ Our heads could do with filling_

_ With some interesting stuff,_

_ For now they're bare and full of air,_

_ Dead flies and bits of fluff,_

_ So teach us things worth knowing,_

_ Bring back what we've forgot,_

_ Just do your best, we'll do the rest,_

_ And learn until our brains all rot._"

Finishing earlier than most, Sara giggled as she listened to some of the versions floating through the air. The last to finish were a pair of redheaded boys who looked identical and were singing to the tune of some sort of dirge. When they finished, everyone clapped, Dumbledore louder than anyone else.

"Ah, music," he said. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

Percy stood and gestured for the first years to follow him. Sara knew she should be exhausted, but she was still too excited to be tired - she stared around eagerly at everything as the redhead led them onward. She was so busy staring at the moving paintings on the walls that she nearly ran right into Harry when the group suddenly stopped. Sara peered around her yearmates to see Percy confronting what appeared to be a bunch of floating walking sticks, some of which appeared to be throwing themselves at him.

"Peeves," Percy whispered back at them. "A poltergeist." Then, louder, "Peeves, show yourself."

There was a sound like a full balloon released to fly about a room.

"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?" Percy asked the seemingly empty air.

There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks.

"Ooooooh!" he cackled. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!"

The poltergeist swooped at them, and Sara ducked - as did everyone else.

"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" Percy barked.

Peeves stuck out his tongue and disappeared, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head. The rattling suits of armor showed where Peeves passed as he zoomed away.

"You want to watch out for Peeves," Percy told them, leading them onwards. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are."

They were standing the end of a corridor, in front of an enormous painting of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.

"Password?" the woman asked, and Sara blinked. Apparently the paintings did more than just move, here.

"Caput Draconis," Percy replied, and the painting swung forward like a door to reveal a round hole in the wall. Sara followed Percy and the other first years through it, and found herself in a round room full of squashy armchairs. Percy pointed the girls up one staircase and the boys up another, and by now Sara was starting to feel the long day. She didn't argue, following Hermione up the spiral stairs to emerge in a room with four beds, each canopied with more ruffles than Sara liked. There was a trunk in front of each - hers was at the foot of the farthest bed, and her cat carrier was on top of it. Open. Empty.

"Trouble!" Sara ran to the cat carrier, making sure the cat wasn't hiding in the back, then looked under her bed.

"Trouble? What trouble?" Hermione yawned.

"Trouble's my cat, and it looks like she got loose and I don't see her anywhere..."

The girls searched the room, and poked there heads out into the staircase to glance up and down it. There was no sign of the cat anywhere. Sara sat on her bed, tears starting in her eyes.

"I only just got her, if anything happened - "

Sara was interrupted by the enormous feline herself, jumping out of nowhere to purr in her lap.

"Trouble! Where were you?" She promptly hugged the beast, unaware of Hermione's startled look and the other girls' irritation.

"I take it we can go to bed now?" Lavender almost snarled the question, and startled, Sara nodded.

Minutes later, the room was dark and silent, except for the rumbling purr of one particularly troublesome cat.

**A/N: Thanks for reading, please review! And I am aware that some pieces of conversation from the book appear to be missing - this is because the story is from Sara's point of view, so if she missed it or was oblivious at the time, it probably won't show up here.**


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